Monday, November 26, 2012

Rosemary

Known for centuries as the “herb of remembrance”, rosemary
has played its part in human life all the way from weddings (to encourage couples to remember their vows!)
to funerals.

As Christian legend has it, that the rosemary bush sheltered the
Holy Family in their escape to Egypt. In gratitude, Mary laid her cloak on the shrub, turning its white flowers blue.

Rosemary has been credited with enhancing love, warding off plague and typhoid, and
growing only in the gardens of the righteous. Aromatherapists prize its essential oil for its strong, fresh, camphor aroma and its clarifying/invigorating benefits. It blends well with citrus, forest, and Oriental notes, and can be found in rinses for dark hair, room deodorants, household sprays, disinfectants, and soaps.

Present-day research is looking
into rosemary oil as beneficial in fighting Alzheimer’s Disease - “herb of
remembrance”, indeed!

In the kitchen, Rosemary lends a savory, pungent note to many dishes. It goes beautifully with pork, beef, and poultry - sparingly with fish - and pairs well with cheese and fruit, especially citrus. Here are just a few of my favorite rosemary recipes, for the holidays and beyond - enjoy!

Preheat
oven to 350°. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Place remaining ingredients in a bowl and mix
in the butter. Press the mixture into a
greased 8” square pan. Bake for 30 to 40
minutes. Cut into fingers.

Rosemary Squares

From The Pleasure of Herbs
,Phyllis
Shaudys ISBN
0-88266-423-9

1 cup
flour

½ tsp
salt

1
tsp. baking powder

½
tsp. dried rosemary (or 1 tsp. fresh)

2
eggs

1 cup
brown sugar

2
tsp. vanilla

2/3
cup chopped pecans

1 cup
candied fruit & raisins

Preheat
oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour an 8x8” square pan. Sift flour, salt, and
baking powder together; add rosemary and set aside. In a large bowl, beat the
eggs vigorously, gradually adding brown sugar. Add vanilla and mix well. Add
the flour mixture and mix until moistened, the fold in pecans, candied fruit,
and raisins. Pour into pan and bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Remove from
pan while still warm; cool and cut into bars. Yield: 30 squares.

Slow-Cooker Rosemary Roast

From Jules

½ cup
good steak sauce

1
(4-5 pound) chuck roast

2 Tbl
dried minced onion

1 Tbl
fresh or 2 tsp dried rosemary

Whole
baby carrots

Red
potatoes, peeled and cut up

Pour
steak sauce into the slow cooker’s crock.
Place meat in the crock, turn to coat both sides with steak sauce, and
remove to a plate. Place vegetables in
the bottom of the crock and sprinkle with half of the rosemary. Next, sprinkle the dried onion and remaining
rosemary on each side of the roast and place it on top of the vegetables. Cover and cook on Low for 10 hours or High
for 5 hours (times may vary, depending
on your slow cooker). If desired, make
gravy from the juices.

Variation:
Instead of steak sauce and minced onion, use a can of condensed French onion
soup. Pour half over the vegetables, season with rosemary, then use the
remaining half on each side of the roast and season roast with rosemary as
well. Makes a great beef/onion gravy.

About Me

An escapee from Corporate America, left it in 1997 and started working for my favorite herb nursery. In July of 2009, I left the nursery for full-time self employment. At my home biz, The Finch House (est. 1997), I specialize in herbal and garden-related crafts (etc!), selling mainly at local craft shows. I also teach herb classes and give talks whenever the opportunity arises. I live with the world's greatest husband, lots of green growing things, and one feathered child, a cockatiel named Woodstock Lucille.